Russian Investigators Present Final Indictment To Ukrainian Film Director

Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who was arrested last year by Russian authorities controlling Crimea and accused of plotting terrorist attacks, has received the final version of his indictment.

Sentsov's lawyer, Dmitry Dinze, told reporters on April 16 that his client had been charged with terrorism and illegal weapons possession.

Sentsov and three other Ukrainian citizens were arrested in May on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in the Crimean cities of Simferopol, Yalta, and Sevastopol.

Sentsov is being held in Moscow's Lefortovo jail.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March after deploying troops and backing a referendum that was condemned as illegal by the United States, the European Union, and the UN General Assembly.

The European Film Academy has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain Sentsov's arrest. The signatories included Agustin and Pedro Almodovar, Andrzej Wajda, Wim Wenders, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Daniel Olbrychski.

In June, prominent Russian film director Nikita Mikhalkov, who is known for his close ties with Putin, and the chairman of the Ukrainian Film Directors Union, Serhiy Trymbach, also asked Putin to release Sentsov.